The charging of a storage battery installed in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle is achieved by: coupling a charging connector of a charging cable to a power receiving connector provided to the vehicle body; and supplying electric power to the storage battery via the charging cable.
Among locking mechanisms each configured to prevent the charging connector from coming off the power receiving connector, there is a locking mechanism including: a hook inclinably provided to the charging connector; an engagement protrusion provided to the power receiving connector; and an actuator provided near the power receiving connector (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).
The actuator includes a resin-made housing in which to house a drive mechanism. A locking pin projecting from the housing is capable of extending from and retracting into the housing.
The housing is attached to an inner surface of a wall portion of a charging port of the vehicle body. In addition, the locking pin projects to the outside through an insertion hole in the wall portion of the charging port.
The above-described locking mechanism is designed such that when the charging connector is coupled to the power receiving connector, the hook on the charging connector is brought into engagement with the engagement protrusion on the power receiving connector. In addition, the locking pin of the actuator extends to a position at which the locking pin restricts inclining movement of the hook. Thereby, the hook is fixed in a state of being in engagement with the engagement protrusion. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the charging connector from coming off the power receiving connector.